Which subjects make up the pure science group?

Cambridge offers the sciences three ways, and the difference between them is how many IGCSE grades a student walks away with.

Three separate subjects

Biology (0610), Chemistry (0620) and Physics (0625) are separate subjects with separate certificates. Each is built the same way:

Component	Core route	Extended route	Weight
Multiple choice	Paper 1	Paper 2	30%
Theory	Paper 3	Paper 4	50%
Practical	Paper 5 practical test, or Paper 6 alternative to practical		20%

Taking all three is the usual route for a student who intends to continue with science after IGCSE, and it is the combination that keeps the most doors open.

The practical component

A fifth of every science grade comes from practical work, and there are two ways to examine it. Paper 5 is a practical test taken in a laboratory under exam conditions. Paper 6 is a written paper covering the same experimental skills — designing an experiment, reading apparatus, handling results — without a laboratory.

Which one a candidate sits is decided by the centre, usually according to whether it can run a practical exam at all. It is a question worth asking a school, and an important one for a private candidate, since it decides whether an entry is possible.

The two lighter routes

Combined Science (0653) covers all three sciences and awards one IGCSE grade. Same paper pattern: multiple choice, theory, and a practical component.
Co-ordinated Sciences, Double Award (0654) covers all three in more depth and awards two grades, reported as a pair such as AA or BB. The theory and practical papers are correspondingly longer.

All of these are tiered, so the Core ceiling at C applies here as much as it does in the separate sciences.

Choosing between them

The honest question is what comes next. A student aiming at medicine, engineering, or a science degree is generally expected to have studied the relevant science in depth, and the three separate subjects are the safest evidence of that. Double award is accepted for many onward courses but not all. Single award is the lightest option and closes the most doors.

Because acceptance varies by institution and by course, this is one to check against the published entry requirements of the specific course rather than against general advice — including this page.

剑桥的理科有三种修读方式，差别在于学生最终拿到几个 IGCSE 成绩。

三个独立科目

生物（0610）、化学（0620）与物理（0625）是三个独立科目，各自出证书。三科的结构相同：

部分	Core 路线	Extended 路线	占比
选择题	Paper 1	Paper 2	30%
理论卷	Paper 3	Paper 4	50%
实验	Paper 5 实验考，或 Paper 6 实验替代卷		20%

打算在 IGCSE 之后继续读理科的学生，通常三科全修——这个组合能保留最多的升学选择。

实验部分

每一科理科成绩有五分之一来自实验，考核方式有两种。Paper 5 是在实验室按考试规格进行的实验考；Paper 6 是笔试，考的是同样的实验能力——设计实验、读取仪器读数、处理数据——但不需要实验室。

考哪一份由考场决定，通常取决于该考场能否举办实验考。这一点值得向学校问清楚；对自修生而言更关键，因为它直接决定能不能报考。

两条较轻的路线

Combined Science（0653）涵盖三门理科，只颁一个 IGCSE 成绩。试卷结构相同：选择题、理论卷与实验部分。
Co-ordinated Sciences 双科（0654）同样涵盖三门理科但更深入，颁两个成绩，以成对方式呈报，例如 AA 或 BB；理论卷与实验卷的时间也相应更长。

以上都分层级，因此 Core 的 C 等上限在这里同样适用。

怎么选

该问的是之后要走哪条路。打算念医科、工程或理科学位的学生，通常被期待深入修读过相关理科，而三科独立修读是最稳妥的证明。双科合并被不少后续课程接受，但并非全部；单科合并最轻，也关掉最多的门。

由于各院校、各课程的接受度不同，这一点应对照所申请课程公布的入学要求来确认，而不是依赖一般性的建议——包括本页。

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Which subjects make up the pure science group?纯理科包含哪些科目？